No one can resist mini heart pies, am I right?
Ever since having kids, I’ve become full on Valentine’s Day obsessed. I don’t know what it is! It’s not just the day – it’s the little season before each holiday that is so exciting to “celebrate” with them. Max gets ridiculously excited to put up the little décor we have for Valentine’s Day.
He also still calls it ValenTIMES day and I just can’t bear to tell him otherwise because it’s so cute.
It’s one of those words that I secretly hope he always pronounces as he says it now.
Anyhoooo.
I made these mini peach hand pies in the summer and have been dyyyying to make some into hearts all year!
It gets me super excited to have another use for Mother Lovett’s pie crust too. She is probably doing cartwheels in her grave right now because I’ve made more with her pie crust than we ever thought imaginable!
Says the person who grew up not caring about pie.
Crazy!
Full disclosure: raspberries are probably my least favorite fruit and I don’t lose my mind over Nutella like most people do. BUT. The combination of these two together? Ooooh it’s good. It’s decadent and tastes like heaven.
These are also super fun to make with kids! Well, the cutting dough part is. The filling… maybe not so much. But what I love about mini pies is when the gorgeous berry filling peeks out during bake time. It’s so vibrant and pretty and makes the crust on top taste that much better.
I used a mini heart cookie cutter that I found at Target a few years ago. You could make whatever size pies you’d like, so you may get less than the almost-two dozen I got, but that just means more room for ice cream!
Crunchy sugar on top for all of us texture lovers, okay?
I whipped up a quick makeshift raspberry compote (or… something like it?) using frozen raspberries. This way, if you can’t find any great berries at the moment, grab some frozen ones and you’re good to go. You could also use your favorite preserves in a pinch.
A dollop of both bursting, syrupy raspberries and nutella go in the center of a super flakey and buttery crust. These are SO good right from the oven, served with vanilla ice cream, extra raspberries drizzled on top and a nutella spoon, which gets all melty in the bowl.
Best Valentine’s treat ever!
p.s. let’s skip the part about how these mini heart pies may look like a scene from Dexter when covered in extra raspberries.
In case you need a few more ideas, I’ve made Nutella s’mores pop tarts with puff pastry and those are to die for. I also made ones with sour cherry jam and smoked cheddar! Equally as delish. This amaretto brownie heart will make you fall in love (as will the heart baking dish – HELLO!) and who can forget the cabernet latte that I shared last year?!
Making that for sure.
Maybe making it today. It has been a WEEK.
How to Make Mini Heart Pies
Mini Raspberry Nutella Heart Pies
These adorable mini heart pies are filled with a homemade raspberry compote and creamy, chocolatey nutella. So fun and easy to make!
Crust
- 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1/4 cup ice cold water
- 3/4 cups cold unsalted butter cut into pieces, (12 tablespoons)
Filling
- 2 ½ cups frozen raspberries
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup Nutella
- Add the flour, sugar and salt to a food processor and pulse just until combined. In a small bowl, whisk mix together the egg, vinegar and water. Add the cold butter pieces into the food processor and pulse until small coarse crumbs remain. Sprinkle the water/egg mixture over the flour and pulse again until the dough comes together.
- Remove the dough with your hands and wrap it in plastic wrap. Stick it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Heat the frozen raspberries and sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until it’s bubbling and the fruit is soft and slightly syrupy, about 10 minutes. Let it cool completely.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Fill a small bowl with water.
- Roll out the dough until it’s about 1/4 inch in thickness. Use a 2-inch heart cookie cutter to cut hearts out of the dough. Make sure to cut an even amount since you will press them together!
- Place the hearts on the baking sheet. Fill every other round with a teaspoon of the nutella and top with a teaspoon of the raspberry mixture. Dip a finger in the water and run it along the outside of the dough round that has the filling. Place an empty heart on top of the filled heart. Press the outsides down with a fork to seal the hearts together. Repeat with the remaining hearts.
- Beat the egg and water together. Brush it on top of all the pies and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Cut and “x” in the top with a paring knife.
- Bake the pies for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove and let cool slightly. Serve with vanilla ice cream!
Don’t mind me while I go cut every food into a heart shape for the next week.
The post Mini Berry Nutella Heart Pies for Your Valentine! appeared first on How Sweet Eats.
